Cigar wrapping machines



Feb. 14, 1956 LONG 2,734,511

WRAPPER FLAG APPLYING MECHANISM FOR CIGAR WRAPPING MACHINES 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 10, 1955 INVENTOR.

Bay/422272 filmy 14 M ATTORNEY Feb. 14, 1956 B. H. LONG 2,734,511

WRAPPER FLAG APPLYING MECHANISM FOR CIGAR WRAPPING MACHINES Filed June 10, 1953 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 (Ln VP! Ben ATTORNEY Feb. 14, 1956 LQNG 2,734,511

WRAPPER FLAG APPLYING MECHANISM FOR CIGAR WRAPPING MACHINES Filed June 10, 1953 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 WW g m ck O Q INVENTOR.

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ATTORNEY B. H. LONG A F eb. 14, 1956 WRAPPER FLAG APPLYING MECHANISM FOR CIGAR WRAPPING MACHINES Filed June 10, 1953 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. nja/m m EZ0% ATTORNEII/ Feb. 14, 1956 B. H. LONG 2,734,511

WRAPPER FLAG APPLYING MECHANISM FOR CIGAR WRAPPING MACHINES I INVENTOR. W N Ben 'amz'n 12 .147? BY j ATTORNEY Feb. 14, 1956 l B. H. LONG 2,

WRAPPER FLAG APPLYING MECHANISM FOR CIGAR WRAPPING MACHINES Filed June 10, 1953 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 f/flzgd I W, E 2y 2a 6' 55 77 ll/ 3 I I 1/ 1? W4 i I JILIZIENTOR.

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ATTORNEY B. H. LONG Feb. 14, 1956 WRAPPER FLAG APPLYING MECHANISM FOR CIGAR WRAPPING MACHINES 7 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed June 10, 1955 INVENTOR. gen 4mm H.110??? 2 AT TORNEI f United States PatentO WRAPPER FLAG APPLYING MECHANISM FOR CIGAR WRAPPKNG MACHINES Benjamin H. Long, Roselle, N. 3., assiguor to Tobacco Machine Supply Company, Inc, a corporation of New Jersey Application June 10, 1953, Serial No. 361,908

6 tllaims. (Cl. 131-29) This invention relates in general to cigar wrapping machines of the general type disclosed in Patent No. 2,601,856 issued to W. J. Giles, July 1, 1952 and my copending application Serial No. 323,594, filed December 2, 1952, the machine including a bunch carrier which carries a bunch from a bunch conveyor to a leaf or wrapper die and moves the bunch laterally over the wrapper while simultaneously rotating the bunch to wind or roll the wrapper thereon. In machines of this type, the bunch is rotated about its longitudinal axis at a ratio to the linear movement of the bunch over the wrapper die such as to obtain the desired stretch of the leaf as the latter is wrapped onto the bunch.

More particularly, the invention is directed to mechanism for controlling the flag of the wrapper after it has been released from the wrapper die or support and until it has been completely wound about the head of a cigar bunch.

One object of the invention is to provide mechanism of this character which shall include a roller to receive the flag from the wrapper die, and novel and improved means for actuating said roller in timed relation to the rolling of the cigar bunch so as to insure accurate winding of the flag on the bunch and to reduce to the minimum the possibility of injury to the flag.

Another object is to provide a novel and improved combination of such a flag controlling and applying mechanism with a cigar wrapping machine of the type shown in said patent whereby accurate and rapid application of the wrapper to a cigar bunch shall be insured and the flag shall be subjected to a minimum of tension that might tear or otherwise damage the flag.

A further object is to provide. a combined cigar bunch rolling mechanism and a flag controlling and applying mechanism of the character described which shall be simple in construction, reliable in operation and inexpens1ve.-

' Other objects, advantages and results of the invention will be brought out by the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a schematic top plan view of a cigar wrapping machine including a flag controlling and applying mechanism constructed in accordance with the invention;

' Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof showing the bunch carrier at the beginning of the wrapping operation as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged combined elevational and transverse vertical sectional view approximately on the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is a similar view approximately on the plane of the line 4- l of Fig. 1; 1

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view from the plane of the line 7-7 of Fig. 5;

Figure 8 is a transverse vertical sectional view on the plane of the line 8-8 of Fig. 4;

Figure 9 is a similar view on the plane of the line 9-9 of Fig. 3;

Figure 10 is a like view on the plane of the line 1010 of Fig. 3;

Figure 11 is an enlarged central transverse vertical sectional view through the bunch rolling mechanism and illustrating the wrapping operation;

Figure 12 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional view approximately on the plane of the line 1212 of Fig. 4;

Figure 13 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the flag controlling mechanism showing a tobacco bunch and the flag end of a wrapper in end elevation by heavy dot and dash lines.

Figure 14 is a side elevational view thereof; and

Figure 15 is a top plan View thereof with portions shown in Figure 13 broken awa, showing the flag end of a wrapper in plan View by heavy dot and dash lines.

Specifically describing the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the machine includes a main frame A which includes parallel guide rails 1 on which is mounted for linear movement the carriage 2 of a cigar rolling I mechanism B. On said carriage is mounted a bunch Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of a carrier C whereby a tobacco bunch can be inserted into the carrier from a bunch conveyor D and said bunch may then be moved bylinear movement of the carriage 2 to a position above a wrapper support and die E as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. whereupon the bunch can be rotated in the carrier C while the carrier is linearly moved over the wrapper die toward its initial or loading position for applying a wrapper to the bunch.

Prior to the cigar rolling operation, a tobacco leaf is placed on the wrapper die and cut by pressing thereof against a knife blade on the die by rollers of a leaf pressing mechanism such as disclosed in the aforesaid patent to form a wrapper G for the bunch. The wrapper is held on the die by suction applied to the die in the usual way. During the cigar wrapping operation the wrapper is elevated in the die into juxtaposition to the bunch F in the bunch carrier when the latter is disposed above the die as shown in Figure 11; and the tuck end of the wrapper is smoothly pressed against the tuck end of the bunch by tucking needle mechanism that is shown in said patent but omitted from the drawings or" this application in the interests of simplicity, so that during continued rotation of the bunch in the carrier and simultaneous movement of the carrier over the die the wrapper will be wound on the bunch. When the head end of the bunch reaches the head end of the wrapper, commonly called the flag, a jet of compressed air forces the flag upwardly from the die to insure against tearing of the flag from the die by the bunch carrier. After the rolling operation the wrapped cigar is automatically discharged from the carrier as the latter moves to its loading position.

The present invention is concerned only with the flag controlling mechanism and only as much of the remainder of the machine is shown and described as is necessary to make clear the operation of the ting controlling mechanism.

Now referring to the bunch carrier, as shown in Figs. 11 1, it includes'an auxiliary frame having a top piece 3 and end pieces 4 in which is journaled a shaft 5 that carries a fluted roller 6 with which cooperates two fluted rollers 7 for holding and rotating the bunch F. The two rollers 7 are mounted on shafts 8 which in turn are journaled in rocker bars 9 that are rockably mounted on shafts .10 so that the rollers '7 can be so related to the roller 6 as to grip the bunch between the rollers as shown in Figures 8 and 9, or said rolls can be swung apart to permit a bunch to be inserted into the carrier or discharged therefrom. The rollers are normally held in the bunch gripping position by tension springs 11, and at the proper time are actuated into bunch receiving or discharging positions by an actuator that has spaced fingers 12 (Fig. 2) to cooperate with the respective arms 13 on the rocker bars 9 so as to swing the latter to separate the rolls 7 when the latter are in bunch receiving or bunch discharging positions. The actuator fingers 12 and their operator are the same as shown in the aforesaid patent, the fingers 12 being operated simultaneously with ejecting pins that force the bunch upwardly from the bunch conveyor into the carrier simultaneously with the separation of the rollers '7.

The hunch is rotated in the carrier through a pinion 15 on the shaft 5 which meshes with idler pinions 16 on the shafts it on which are pinions 17 which mesh with pinions 18 on the shafts 8 of the rollers 7. The shaft 5 is driven through a pinion 19 which meshes with a pinion 20 on a countershaft 21 that is journaled in the end pieces of the carrier frame. The countcrshaft 21 is driven through two pawl and ratchet devices 23 which are identical except that they are reversely arranged on the shaft so that they drive the shaft 21 in one direction regardless of direction of rotation of shaft 39 and bevel gear 29. As shown each pawl and ratchet device includes a body 24 pinned on the shaft 21 and carrying spring pawls 25 that cooperate with a ratchet 26 that is rigidly secured by keys 27 to a bevel pinion 28 that in turn meshes with a bevel gear 29 which is keyed on a stub shaft 39 on which is fastened a pinion 31 that meshes with a gear 32 on a support stud 33 that is connected to the top piece of the carrier frame 3 and secured in a bracket arm 34 that is shown connected to the carriage 2 which in turn has rollers 35 by which the carriage is mounted on the rails 1. See Figures 3, 4- and 7.

The gear 32 is driven by a pinion 36 which is rigidly connected to said gear and in turn meshes with a pinion 37 which is journaled on a stub shaft 38 that is secured in a bracket 39 which is in turn adjustably mounted on a sleeve 40 that is secured in the bracket arm 34 in telescopic relation to the stud 33 by a split clip or other suitable means 41. The pinion 37 meshes with a rack bar 42 that is longitudinally slidably mounted in a guide block 43 secured on the main frame A by hangers 44. See Figures 1, 2 and 3. The rack bar 42 is connected through a stretch adjusting mechanism to the main drive shaft of the machine. This connection is shown as including a link 45 that is pivotally connected at one end 46 to the rack bar and pivotally connected at its other end at 47 to a pivot block 48 which is slidably mounted in a guideway 49 in a crank arm 50 that has an integral boss 51 which is adjustably secured as by a set screw 52 on a countershaft 53. An adjusting screw 54 is rotatably but non-longitudinally movably mounted in the crank arm 50 and has the pivot block 48 screw threadedly connected thereto so that upon rotation of the screw, the pivot block may be moved longitudinally of the crank arm toward and from the axis of rotation of the shaft 53. A linger piece 55 is attached to one end of the screw for convenience in rotating the screw. The link 45 preferably is longitudinally adjustable and is shown as formed preferably of relatively longitudinally adjustable sections.

The shaft 53 is oscillated by means of a pulley 56 on the shaft and a pulley 57 fast connected to a carriage operating arm 58 which is pivoted on a drive shaft 59 on which is keyed a cam 60 having a cam groove 61 in which is a follower roll 62 mounted on a lever 63 one end of which is pivoted on a stationary shaft 64 in the frame of the machine while the other end is connected by a link 65 to one end of the carriage operating arm 58. The two pulleys 56 and 57 are connected by a belt- 66. The carriage operating arm 58 is connected by a link 67 to the carriage 2. The cam 62 is continuously rorated from any suitable source, for example, from the motor which drives the machine, so that the carriage 2 is rolled alternately in opposite directions along the rails l and at the same time the crank arm 59 is oscillated.

Means is usually provided to prevent slipping of the wrapper on the die plate during the wrapping operation and to maintain the wrapping under tension. Such means is shown in the aforesaid patent and is illustrated most clearly Figs. 4 and ll of this application as a tension plate 63 which is pivotally mounted at 69 on bracket arms 70 which are secured on one of the shafts 10, the plate being normally influenced to swing downwardly into contact with the wrapper G on the die plate by a ension spring 71, movement of the plate in said direction being limited by suitable stop means such as an adjusting screw 72 carried by the plate to abut ing 73 on one of the brackets 70.

The operation of the machine as so far described is generally as follows: A leaf of tobacco is applied to the perforated plate at the top of the die E and cut in the usual way to form the Wrapper, the die lift then being operated to raise the wrapper carrying portion of the die into position to be engaged by the bunch, the machine being started and stopped by suitable mechanism such as a one revolution clutchv Upon starting the machine, the bunches of tobacco are moved in succession and intermittently by the bunch conveyor D to the loading position and the fingers 12 actuate the rocker bars 9 to separate the rolls 7 to receive the bunch as the latter is elevated by the pins. Upon retraction of the fingers 12 the rollers 7 and 6 grip the bunch. The carriage moves forwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2 under influence of the cam 60 and arm 53. At this time the die plate will have been elevated as shown in Fig. 2 and the tuck needle (not shown) will lift the end of the wrapper into contact with the bunch. The rack bar 42 is then operated to rotate the bunch through the fluted rolls in the carrier, whereupon the tuck end of the wrapper is wound on the bunch and the tucking needle is withdrawn, The rearward movement of the carriage toward the unloading position adjacent the right-hand end of the bunch conveyor D is continued and the hunch is rotated by the rack bar 42 at a ratio to the linear movement of the bunch so as to obtain the desired stretch in the leaf. In other words, the rack bar 42 is moved in a direction opposite to that of the carriage so as to rotate the fluted rollers at such speed as to maintain the wrapper under tension, as generally shown and described in the aforesaid patent and the Giles et a1. Patent No. 2,226,224, issued December 24, 1940. This rolling or wrapping of the wrapper on the hunch is best illustrated in Fig. 11 of the drawings. Due to the two ratchet devices 23, the bunch will be rolled during its movement from the loading position to the die.

As the head end of the bunch approaches the head end of the wrapper, the die may or may not be swung to orient the flag end of the wrapper relatively to the bunch as described in the aforesaid Patent No. 2,601,856, depending upon the nature of the cigar, and the flag H of the wrapper G is forced upwardly by a jet of air into contact with a flag controlling and directing roller J to which the leaf slidably adheres due to the paste applied to it. As will be hereinafter described, the roller I is operated in a novel and improved manner to guide the leaf onto the head end of the cigar.

The heading roll K is then brought into operation by means about to be described to iron the flag of the wrapper smoothly on the head of the bunch, and the carriage continues to its position over the unloading station, where the heading roll is withdrawn and the fluted rolls 7 are moved apart to release the finished cigar which falls by gravity onto suitable guide plates (not shown) just ahead of the leading mold on the bunch conveyor D.

The flag directing roller I (Figs. 5, 7, 13-15) is journaled on a pin 75 that is fixedly mounted in a bracket arm 76 which has a stud 77 adjustably secured by a set screw 78 in a hanger bearing 79 which is fastened to the frame of the carriage as by screws 80. The axis of the pin 75 is approximately horizontal and parallel to the wrapper support and to the axis of the cigar bunch, and the roller is cylindrical and mounted in proper relation to the head end of the bunch F and with the lower side of its periphery approximately flush or a little below the plane of the tension plate 68 so that as the flag of the wrapper is blown upwardly from the die it will adhere to the peripheral surface of the roller. The roller J is also mounted for longitudinal sliding movement on the pin 75 toward and away from the head end of the bunch. As shown, a cam 81 is mounted on the bracket 76 and has a cam surface in contact with which is a roller 82 journaled on a radial pin 83 on the periphery of the roller J. A link 84 has one end pivotally connected at 85 to the roller and its other end pivotally connected by a bolt 86 to an arm 87 on a shaft 88 that is journaled in bearings 89 (Fig. 4) on the frame of the bunch carrier C. The shaft 88 also has an arm 90 carrying a roller 91 that follows a cam track 92 (Figs. 2, 4 and mounted on the main frame of the machine; and there is a torque spring 93 having one end connected to the shaft and the other end to the frame of the bunch carrier for normally influencing the roller 91 onto engagement with the track and to rotate the flag applying roller J in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 13 when the roller 91 engages a certain portion of the cam track 92. As will be seen from Figs. 13 to of the drawings, when the roller I is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 13, the cam follower roller 82 will run on the surface of the cam 81 so as to slide the roller longitudinally as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 14. The roller 32 is maintained in contact with the cam surface through swinging of the link 84 on the bolt 86 under the influence of a presser arm 87a one end of which is fitted on the bolt while its other end frictionally bears upon the end of the link 84 opposite the connection of the link with the roller J, a spring 88a normally biasing the link 84 into the solid line position of Fig. 14 so as to hold the roller 82 in contact with the surface of the cam 81.

The shaft 88 has a miter gear connection 93a with a jackshaft 94 (Figs. 4 and 5) journaled in a bearing on the bunch carrier frame and having an arm 96 carrying an adjustable screw 97 that engages an arm 98 of a bell crank 99 which is pivotally mounted at 100 on a bracket 101 on the bunch carrier frame and has the heading roller K journaled on its other arm as best shown in Figs. 4 and 7. A torque spring 102 normally influences the bell crank 99 so as to swing the heading roller into operative position and-bring the arm 98 of the bell crank into engagement with a stop screw 163 that is mounted in an arm on the bracket 101. It will thus be seen that the roller 91 cooperating with the cam track 92 will operate the heading roller into and out of opera tive position simultaneously with the operation of the flag applying roller J.

For so operating the heading roller and the flag directing roller, the cam track has a cam surface 104 (Fig. 2) that is so shaped that when the bunch carrier is in its loading position over the bunch conveyor D, the shaft 88 is rotated so as to swing the heading roller K into an out-of-the-way position and also rotate the flag applying roller J into its normal position shown in Figs. 13 and 14, so that the two rollers will not interfere with the insertion of the cigar bunch into the carrier. Assuming the bunch carrier has been moved to the position assumed at the beginning of the wrapping operation as shown in Fig. 2, as the carriage is moved to the left of' Fig. 2 during the wrapping operation, the flag controlling and directing roller J reaches a position over the flag of the wrapper as said flag is blown upwardly from the die so that the flag adheres to the roller as shown by broken lines in Fig. 13. The follower roller 91 then engages the surface 104b of the cam track 104 and the flag controlling and directing roller is rotated by the shaft 88 and link 84 and simultaneously slid longitudinally in the direction of the arrow of Fig. 14 by the roller 82 and cam 81 so that the small end of the flag is accurately guided and applied to the head end of the bunch, the end of the flag beyond the notch 105 (see Figs. 1 and 15) being simultaneously rotated and moved longitudinally to simulate a spiral motion so that the flag is completely and accurately wound on the curved head of the bunch.

As winding of the flag is started, the cam surface 104b causes the heading roller K to be actuated into operative position to the flag and head of the bunch so as to iron the flag snugly and smoothly on the head of the bunch. Upon continued movement of the carriage in the same direction and toward the unloading position, the cam surface 104:: causes the roller 91 to rotate the shaft 88 in such a way as to swing the heading roller into its out-of-the-way or inoperative position and at the same time rotate and longitudinally move the flag-controlling roller into its initial normal position, in preparation for the feeding of the next bunch into the carrier.

For facility in adjusting the position of the heading roller K, the arm of the bell crank 99 (Fig. 7) that carries the roller is formed in two sections, 99a and 99b, one of which has a stud 99c longitudinally and rotatably adjustable in an opening in the section 99a and held in adjusted position by a clamping screw 99d. With this construction the screw 99d can be loosened after which the pin 99c can he slid longitudinally and rotated to properly rotate the heading roller K whereupon the screw 99d may be tightened to hold the parts in their adjusted relation.

It will be manifest to those skilled in the art that the exact form of the cam surface 1'94 may be modified to effect the desired character of movements of the heading roller and the flag applying roller in proper timed relation to the movement of the bunch carrier or to the wrapping operation.

It will also be understood that while the now preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, the details of construction of the machine may be widely modified and changed within the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A cigar wrapping machine comprising a flat wrapper support, a rolling mechanism including a carriage having a frame linearly movable over said wrapper support, and mechanism on said carriage frame for rotating a bunch to be wrapped so that a wrapper is wound onto a bunch from said support, a flag controlling and directing roller mounted on the carriage so as to be adjacent the head of a bunch in said rolling mechanism, to provide for contact with the surface of said roller of a wrapper flag when said flag is blown oif said wrapper support, and means other than contact between said roller and said bunch for positively moving said roller to convey said Wrapper flag in contact with the surface of said roller onto said bunch head.

2. A cigar wrapping machine as defined in claim 1 wherein the last-named means includes a rotatable shaft on said carriage frame, a crank and link connection between said shaft and said roller to oscillate the roller upon reciprocation of the link, a stationary cam track, and a follower for said track connected to said shaft to oscillate the shaft.

3. A cigar wrapping machine as defined in claim 1 wherein the last-named means includes a rotatable shaft on said carriage frame, a crank and link connection between said shaft and said roller to oscillate the roller upon reciprocation of the link, a stationary cam track, and a follower for said track connected to said shaft to oscillate in a spiral path 7 the shaft and with the addition of a heading roller, a lever carrying said heading roller and pivotally mounted on said carriage frame to move the heading roller into and out of operative relation to a bunch in said rolling mechanism, and a connection between said lever and said shaft to move said heading roller in timed relation to the movement of said flag controlling and directing roller to apply the wrapper flag to the bunch head.

4. A cigar wrapping machine comprising a wrapper support, a rolling mechanism including a carriage having a frame linearly movable over said support, mechanism on said carriage frame for rotating a bunch to be wrapped so that a wrapper is wound onto a bunch from said support, a flag applying roller, and means for positively rotating and simultaneously longitudinally moving said roller in directions to convey and guide the flag of the wrapper onto the bunch head.

5. A cigar wrapping machine as defined in claim 4 wherein the last-named means includes a rotatable shaft on said carriage frame, a crank and link connection between said shaft and said roller to oscillate the roller upon reciprocation of the link, a stationary cam track, a follower for said track connected to said shaft to oscillate the shaft, said link being connected to said crank and said roller to provide for longitudinal movement of said roller, a cam and a follower, one connected to said roller and the other to said carriage frame to cause longitudinal movement of said roller upon rotation'of the roller.

6. A cigar Wrapping machine comprising a wrapper support, a rolling mechanism including a carriage having a frame linearly movable over said support, mechanism on said carriageframe for rotating a bunch to be wrapped so that a wrapper is wound onto a bunch from said sup port, a flag applying roller, and means for positively rotating said roller in the direction to carry the wrapper flag from the support to the bunch head and for longitudinally moving said roller toward the bunch during such rotation thereof to convey and guide the wrapper flag onto the bunch head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 628,677 Russell; a- July 11, 1899 1,582,597 Halstead Apr. 27, 1926 1,899,194 Halstead Feb. 28, 1933 2,226,224 Giles et a1 Dec. 24, 1940 2,369,777 Durning Feb. 20, 194-5 2,601,856 Giles July 1, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 496,379 Great Britain Nov. 29, 1938 Lin r a hr... 

